God of the Doubters, Broken, and Happy

May 9, 2016

While I’m celebrating the completion of Christ is For Us, I decided to give myself a vacation from blogging and introduce you to Dale Fredrickson, who is a pastor and poet from Denver, Colorado. He says, “I’d like to inspire the entire world but find that inspiring myself and my family and friends is work enough.”

Count me in as one of the inspired! I loved Dale’s earlier book of prayer poems, Help Me Be: Praying in Poems, and was excited to learn this week that he has just released a new book of poems called Keeping Pulse: Poems for the Heart. The collection of 26 poems is now available as a book with full-colour artwork, a PDF version, 14 spoken word poems as an MP3 download or on CD, an artistic print, or the full package. You can find more information by clicking on the title: Keeping Pulse: Poems for the Heart.

Here’s the opening of one of my favourites followed by the video version.

Doubters, Broken, Happy

You are for the Doubters, the Broken, the Happy:

You meet us in the asking, seeking, and knocking.

You are present in our darkest valleys.

You know that we’ve all experienced

Doubt

Despair

Disbelief

Disruption

In all things you give us Resurrection

Surprising newness

Compelling Love

You are the God of Resurrection. . . .

Watch the video version of this word poem. I hope it will encourage and inspire you as it has me. Enjoy!

Writing/Reflection Prompt: Do you identify more with the doubter, broken, or happy today?

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4 responses

Keith St. Jean

May 9, 2016

Thank you for sharing this. I have just watched and listened to three of his spoken word poems and they have moved me deeply. I am now thirsty for more of his work.

Reply
1. April Yamasaki
  
  May 9, 2016
  
  You’re welcome! I’d love to see Dale in person, and appreciate this endorsement from Rob Bell: “Dale is bursting with life. I heard him give one of his spoken word pieces and you could feel the energy filling the room as he put language to grace and hope and love. And now, with this book, you can feel what I’m talking about…”
  
  Reply
Mary Derksen

May 9, 2016

A Happy day! Awoke to sunshine streaming into my room! My kitchen table is filled with aromas of flowers I received for Mother’s Day. I tried a new breakfast. Bacon and eggs instead of the everyday cereal! Welcoming sunshine massaging my stiff body, contemplating on Daniel’s problem with the King’s impossible demand. Gazing on God’s masterpiece, a skyline of mountains against the clear blue sky, dotted here and there with soft fluff, I find challenges and demands, not as great as Daniel’s, but almost as impossible.
Yes, impossible for me. All I can do is IMAGINE (my word for 2016) how God might answer!

Thank you and blessings!

Reply
1. April Yamasaki
  
  May 13, 2016
  
  Hello, Mary – that sounds like a beautiful morning with a day full of possibilities. May you continue to meet the challenges of each day with faith and grace, and may God continue to enlarge your capacity to imagine great things!
  
  Reply

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